Appendix.

Section II.,
K.

184. To warrant continuance of aid, the house and furniture must be kept in sufficient repair, and the school must be conducted in all respects in a satisfactory manner, and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commissioners.

185. When a school has been recognized as a school for boys or for girls solely, or as a mixed school, the sanction of the Commissioners must be obtained for a change from a boys' to a girls' school, or vice versâ, or to a mixed school, or from a mixed school to separate schools.

186. Separate ordinary schools for boys and girls adjoining or in close proximity, and under the same management, in one or both of which there is an average attendance of less than thirty, must be amalgamated on the retirement of either principal, unless for special reasons it shall be otherwise directed.

187. In the case of applications for the recognition of boys' and girls' schools in the same locality in place of a mixed school, aid cannot be granted to separate schools unless there is satisfactory evidence that each school will have an average attendance of at least fifty pupils.

188. If the building in which a school is conducted is unsuitable, a new school to replace the old one should not be provided until the Commissioners shall have considered the question of its necessity, having regard to the school accommodation in the locality.

189. As a general rule, a National school, in order to continue to be recognized by the Commissioners, must have an annual average daily attendance of at least twenty pupils between the ages of three and fifteen years of age.

CHAPTER XIV.

BUILDING, FURNISHING, AND IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR
SCHOOL-HOUSES, &c.

(Important changes in the system embodied in the rules in this chapter are at present under consideration.)

190. The Commissioners award aid towards building schoolhouses, and providing suitable fittings and furniture, and for providing science laboratories, accommodation for instruction in cookery and laundry, workshops, &c., in certain cases. This aid is given for vested schools only.

191. Before any grant is made towards building a schoolhouse, the Commissioners must be satisfied—

(a.) that a necessity exists for such a school;
(b.) that an eligible site has been procured;

(c.) that a proper lease of the site for the purposes of
National Education shall be executed either to trustees,
or to the Commissioners in their corporate capacity;

(d.) that whatever aid in addition to the grant is necessary for erecting the house and providing furniture, according to the approved plans and specifications, shall be supplied by local contribution; and

(e.) that when the school comes into operation such local aid shall be provided in supplement of the teacher's emoluments from the Commissioners as they may deem necessary.

192. In rural districts, if the proposed site for a school is within three statute miles by road of a vested National school, no grant is made, except in special circumstances.

193. (a.) The site should be healthy, with a supply of pure water conveniently near, should be easy of access, and must be approved by the Board of Public Works. (b.) As a rule, sites should not be less than a rood or thereabouts in extent, and for large schools a greater extent may be required. (c.) The Commissioners do not contribute towards the cost of obtaining sites.

194. In cases of applications for building grants for adjoining boys' and girls' schools, grants for separate schools can not be made unless there is an average attendance of at least 50 pupils in each school.

195. Although the Commissioners do not refuse aid towards the erection of school-houses on ground connected with places of worship, yet they much prefer that they should be erected on ground which is not so connected, where it can be obtained; they therefore require that, before Church, Chapel, or Meetinghouse ground is selected as the site of a school-house, strict inquiry should be made whether any other convenient site can be obtained, and that the result shall be reported to them.

196. (a.) The school premises to be vested in the Commissioners must be held either in fee-simple, or at a nominal rent; (b.) those to be vested in trustees must either be held at a nominal rent, or must be indemnified by special sureties against any liability for rent; and (c.) the lease of premises not held in fee-simple must be for such a term as, in the circumstances, the Commissioners may deem necessary.

Appendix.

Section II., K. Conditions of

Grant.

Appendix.

Section II,
K.

Loans.

197. The Commissioners determine what amount of school accommodation should be provided in the proposed building; and the cost of the house, &c., is determined by the number of children which it is intended to accommodate. (For the special regulations concerning building, furnishing, and improvement grants, see schedule XV., p. 184.

198. Loans for the erection of non-vested school-houses, Training colleges, and teachers' residences are made by the Board of Public Works on the recommendation of the Commissioners. Grants may also be made towards the erection of a teacher's residence. (For the special regulations see schedule XVI., p. 186, and schedule XVII., p. 188).

199. Under the Irish Education Acts, 1892 and 1893, sites for school-houses or teachers' residences may be compulsorily acquired, under prescribed conditions.

CHAPTER XV.

EVENING SCHOOLS.

200. The Commissioners consider applications for grants to evening schools from managers of National schools, committees, or other suitable persons, on condition that these schools shall not receive aid from any other public department for the same work, and that they shall be subject to the general rules of the Commissioners, except in so far as the general rules may be modified by these special rules.

201. (a.) Evening schools must not meet before 4 p.m., except on Saturday, when the meetings must not take place before 2 p.m.

(b.) A meeting must be of at least two hours' duration.

(c.) The time of a meeting must be devoted exclusively to secular instruction.

202. There must be 70 meetings in a session to warrant the full payment of the fee allowed (see 203 (b)). If a school meets less often, a pro rata payment may be made, provided that the total number of meetings is not less than 45. Only one session of an evening school can be held within twelve months, and only four meetings of a school can be held in any week.

203. (a.) The minimum average attendance entitling a school to the payment of the grant and to continued recognition is 10.

(b.) The average attendance is calculated by dividing the total number of complete attendances made by eligible pupils (rule 207) during the school session by the number of meetings. A pupil's attendances cannot be included in calculating

Rule 203--continued.

Appendix.

Section II.,

K.

the average attendance unless he has been present during at least 18 meetings of the class. For each unit of the average Rates of attendance the manager or committee of the school may be fee. allowed a maximum fee of 17s. 6d. or of 15s. The rate of the fee may be reduced at the discretion of the Commissioners. No higher fee than 10s. is paid unless at least 25 per cent. of the pupils in attendance are successfully taught two or more of the subjects specified as advanced courses.

(c.) The rate of the fee is determined as a rule by the report of the inspector on the school at the end of the session. The higher rate is granted only where the report is specially satisfactory.

(d.) The payment of the grants is made after the end of each session.

204. The school must be held in suitable premises having Premises. sufficient accommodation, suitably lighted and heated when necessary. Schools are not recognized in teachers' residences, nor if situated in remote places difficult of access from a public road.

205. (a.) The managers or the committees employ the Teachers. teachers and arrange the amount of their remuneration.

(b.) The teachers may be persons (lay or clerical) over 18 years of age, approved as qualified by the inspectors. Teachers who have retired from the service on retiring allowances are not eligible as teachers of evening schools. A teacher of a day National school can be recognized as teacher of only one evening school. If his day school is not efficiently conducted, he cannot be recognized as a teacher of an evening school.

(c.) The Commissioners determine as to the adequacy of the staff. As a rule, no teacher in an evening school should have charge of more than thirty pupils.

206. As a rule, no evening school can be attended by pupils of both sexes. On the special application of the manager leave may be given in exceptional cases for the attendance of both sexes at an evening school.

207. Persons over fourteen years of age, children excused from attendance at school under the provisions of the Irish Education Act of 1892, and children unable to attend day schools, are eligible as pupils of an evening school. No person can be recognized as a pupil of more than one evening school at the same time, nor can any pupil in actual attendance at a day National school be recognized as a pupil of an evening school for the purposes of payment. Persons not included in those defined as eligible pupils may attend evening schools, but cannot be taken into account in the calculation of the average attendance.

Pupils.

Appendix.

Section II,

K.

Time-table, Registers, and Roll books.

Subjects of
Instruction

208. (a.) A time table for each school must be drawn up and submitted for approval.

(b.) Registers and roll books, approved by the Commissioners, must be kept. The rolls must be completely marked before the termination of the first quarter hour of each meeting. The attendance mark must be cancelled if any pupil leaves before the end of a meeting. The registers and rolls must be checked and certified in the schoolroom, and during the time of a meeting, by the manager or by some responsible person deputed by the manager or by the committee at least once a month.

(c.) The school must be at all times open to inspection by the Commissioners or their officers.

209. (a.) Any of the subjects specified in the programme for day National schools-except laundry-work and woodworkmay be taught in evening schools, and the following advanced branches :

Advanced arithmetic and algebra.

Geometry and mensuration.

Irish.

French.

Latin.

Shorthand and typewriting.

Elementary science.

Model drawing.

Geometrical drawing.

History (a period of).
Cookery.
Book-keeping.

(b.) A schedule of the subjects to be taught in each evening school must be submitted for approval at the commencement of the session.

(c.) At least two subjects should be taught in each evening school, but not necessarily at each meeting. Reading, writing, and arithmetic must be taught in every evening school to such pupils as are not already qualified in these subjects. No payment is allowed in respect of any pupil who is taught other subjects only, unless the Inspector is satisfied that the pupil has a sufficient elementary knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

210. No political or polemical business, or business other than that laid down in the approved time table of the school, must be transacted during the time of meeting.

211. (a.) Evening schools must not be conducted for the private profit of the manager or committee. All the state grant must be expended on the schools and teachers.

(b.) The managers must submit a satisfactory return of the expenditure at the end of the school session.

(c.) The scale of fees (if any) to be charged to the pupils must be submitted to the Commissioners for approval.